Zero no Shinobi
by Kointoss
Summary: 'To properly understand us, the tale of Codename Legion must first be explained; for he is the catalyst.' The gray-haired man spoke again. 'In the beginning, there was The War.' Rated M for Mature Themes and violence.


A/N: Before i Start this i would just like to say not to expect this to be updated very soon. I mostly had the first half of this chapter complete on my computer, and before i deploy again and my computer nodoubtely crashes, i wanted to get this on the internet. Plus this fic is semi-up for adoption. Let me know if you would like to continue it as i already have the plot/outline all the way through the Staff of Destruction Arc. Not to mention i can guarantee that noone has even an idea of what the hell i have planned. A thousand guess and nobody would get it. Anyways On with the Show!

**OwO **

**Chapter 1: Choices, choices...**

"Do it" was the only thing he said to his grey-haired counterpart standing next to him.

"I won't. This isn't the way it should end."

"A lot of things happened they way they shouldn't, but this doesn't change the fact that I did this…" he gestured to the gigantic mess of rubble around them that was one a bustling city, and a center of trade, Konoha. "As long as I live, I shall blight the world, always in danger of destroying everything around me. The only solution…is more than death. As we have seen from Pain, death can be reversed. That leaves one choice, the Shuki Fuujin."

"Never." The gray-haired man hissed, "I should never have learned that stupid technique, and I sure as hell aren't going use it on you."

"You must. You know as well as I do, the next time there isn't going to be people who can stop me. Hi…" he choked on the word, but forced it through, "Hinata won't be there, Sakura won't be there, and neither will Sasuke. Nobody will be there to stop me but you, and we both know that you wouldn't stand a chance. I must be taken from this world, this plane of existence, never to be revived, for their sake…" he looked over to a small hill that he had cleared of rubble. There were multiple gravestones placed into the ground. No dirt had been disturbed though, as he never found any bodies "…and for all those to come."

"I know, but I just can't believe it has to end like this." The grey-haired man slumps his shoulders. He felt like crying, but had no more tears to shed. His one eye looked so tired; one might think he was ten years older than he really was. "Very well, you'll have to come to me, I don't think I can even more very far, I almost out of chakra, this will take everything I have."

"Think about it this way," said the blonde youth as he hobbled over to his friend, "at least we'll be together for a long, long time."

"Somehow, fighting you for eternity doesn't sound like a pleasing thought right now; especially after what I just went through." He began ticking fingers, "Seeing one of my best friends turning into a monster and destroying my birthplace, watching him destroy his and my enemies while in that state, watching him destroy his and my friends in that state, seeing two Jinchuuriki fight while transformed, almost dying myself twice, and being essentially the last one alive." He sighed hard and he tried to regain his composure for the Jutsu he planned on using within the next few seconds. "Somehow not the way I wanted to go out."

"Shit happens old man, now let's get this going before someone comes along trying to stop us." He squeezed out, "In our current state, we might not even be able to stop some punk genin."

"Noted." said Kakashi as he started stringing seals together while Naruto put his arms on Kakashi's shoulders bracing him.

All of a sudden, Naruto felt an icy-cold sensation tear through his stomach. He looked down to see this large purple hand pulling something purple out of his stomach. "That's funny, he gasped, looks like my soul is purple. The more of his soul was pulled out, the more he lost sensation in his outer extremities. "I guess this is it, goodbye everyone." He gave on final goodbye before forcing himself to relinquish control. He had just enough time to see his and Kakashi's body hit the ground as they and a red soul were grabbed and shoved into the Shinigami's mouth.

The first thing Naruto noticed was Kakashi standing a few feet to his left. They were standing on top of the Hokage tower, it was about noon. The town was restored, but yet there were no people wandering the streets as they should have been at this time of the day. He looked over to the right and saw the 6th Hokage in his ceremonial robe, facing towards the city, away from him.

"Wait a minute…there hasn't been a 6th Hokage yet." Naruto said. The figure in the robes turned around, the bottom of the robe fluttering in the wind that wasn't there before the figure dropped to all fours, finally facing Naruto and Kakashi; it was Kyuubi.

"You!" Naruto hissed. Kyuubi lunged at him, his gaping jaws wide open and ready to tear into Naruto. He was a couple of feet from Naruto before he seemed to run into an invisible wall, causing it to ripple around him. Naruto finally saw it as it wrapped around in between Kakashi, Kyuubi, and himself.

Naruto heard a giggle from behind him. The three turned to face a little girl. She appeared to be around her late teens, jet-black hair tied up with a red bow into a ponytail and a big red bead holding together the ends, which ended just below her waist. She also wore a white band around her forehead with a yellow smiley-face in the middle. She was smiling one of the cutest smiles that Naruto had ever seen, her big dark-blue eyes sparkling. She wore a pink kimono that ended just below her mid-thigh, secured around her stomach with a black cloth belt with a green stripe orbiting the middle, and black gloves that reached all the way up past her biceps. She wore black ninja sandals with black stockings to match her gloves that ran up to about two inches past her knees.

"Who are you?" questioned Kakashi.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to eat your soul." She giggled

"Then what do you want from us?" came back Naruto.

"To offer you a choice." She retorted.

"Shinigami…" Kyuubi breathed, now shed of the Hokage robes.

"Shinigami?" Kakashi repeated, "You mean to tell me that this…girl… is _the_ Shinigami?"

"Of course silly, if I had been in my normal state, you'd never be able to speak normally." She stated, while clasping her hands behind her back, and bouncing between the balls of her feet and heels and still smiling that cute smile, except this time her eyes were closed. She opened her eyes and held up a finger, this time looking a little more serious, "I can't have you passing out on me when there's such a big decision ahead."

"What kind of decision?" Naruto asked.

"Well, you have a choice: serve me, or spend eternity here." She smiled that big smile again. Kakashi just stared at her with that dumb look he always has.

Naruto noticed this and said, "Well, that doesn't sound too bad. This is our home, after all."

"Speak for yourself, Brat." Kyuubi snorted.

"Oh, did I forget to mention..." the Shinigami started, "that for each of your sins you shall spend one thousand years in torture, right here" she said with a smile.

"Then what's the job?" Kakashi asked.

"That's easy, you will work as a bodyguard for someone who I will specify later…" she looked over her shoulder and then turned back o them, and you'd better hurry, because it's about ready to start."

"What's about to start?" Naruto asked.

"Let me see…" Kakashi started, "Work as a bodyguard, or stay here and be tortured for the rest of eternity… I'll take the bodyguard job."

"Yea, when you put it like that…" Naruto nodded.

"Alrighty then!" she jumped, "Let's get started."

"Hey, what about me; don't I even get a say?" Kyuubi whined

"Nope, three against one, you lose." She said as she raised her hand and this large white portal opened. "Go ahead and walk through and good luck. Just remember, through her salvation, you shall find redemption!" she hollered as the four walked through the light.

**OwO**

A pink-haired girl dressed in her white shoes, black stockings, blue skirt, white shirt and cape attached around the front with a brooch that has a five-pointed star on it, stood in the middle of her school's grounds. She raised her wand and looked at it for a minute. _Please, let this work._ With a flick of her wrist, she steeled herself and began the chant. "My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, heed my summoning…" she called as a star appeared underneath her and circled around. "…and bring forth, my familiar!" she finished, bringing her wand down resulting in a large BOOM, and a huge cloud of smoke.

Once the smoke cleared, there sat her familiar, eyes closed.

"What? A fox; are you kidding me?" someone laughed in the background after catching sight of the fox sitting in front of Louise.

"It figures the Zero would summon a fox, the only thing weaker would be a commoner" another hollered.

Louise was crestfallen, "I can't have this, this _thing_ as my familiar, Mr. Colbert, let me try it again!" she pleaded to her teacher, a semi-balding man with glasses.

The man standing in his blue robes just shook his head, "Now now; you know the ritual Miss Valerie, now please complete the ritual."

"Yes, Mr. Colbert." She dropped her head.

"Pentagon of the five elemental powers, grant your blessings upon this creature, and bind it as my familiar."She finished with a kiss on the fox's forehead. She brought her head back, opening her eyes to look at her new familiar. It was a fox with reddish-orange fur. It had a black tip on its tail, and had not moved an inch. It had black lines around its eyes and what looked like very long ears for a fox. She had never seen such a weird looking fox before. Its front legs also looked very long for a fox. Finally, it had some kind of black band around its neck, in which sat a smooth metal plate. Sitting down it came up to her chest easily, even though she was shorter than most at her age, she figured it would stand on all fours at about her waist (eight hands, for those of you who know how a horse's height is measured. From the ground to the top of where its shoulder's meet the neck, otherwise known as the Withers. Oh yea, for those of you wondering, yeah it's Kyuubi's form).

Having enough of being made fun of, she decided to go, "Come let's go." She stood up and walked a few feet before turning around, noticing the fox hadn't moved an inch. "What are you stupid? Let's go you dumb fox!"

"Ha ha!" a blonde, curly-haired boy cackled "As expected from Louise the Zero, like summoner, like familiar, both too stupid to comply with simple tasks! I wonder if the Valerie family is even worth their titles?" this prompted the laughter of the crowd.

"Good one Guiche!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd.

Louise, wanting to protect her family's name, pulled out her wand and started chanting. As she finished her spell, a giant…wisp of smoke came from her wand. The boy laughed and conjured up a bronze suit of armor with a sword.

"So you wish to fight me then? Very well, I shall fight you and teach you why you are the dead-last of the entire academy! I hope you do like my golems, aren't they just wonderful?" he said swooning over his golem as it hurtled towards Louise. Before it could even cross half the distance, it clattered to the ground it a dozen pieces. The only thing out of place was the fox sitting in the same position as it was before, except it had moved right in front of his golem.

"D-did, you do that to my beautiful golem?" he stammered out as the fox opened its eyes. There was something odd about its eyes, but Guiche just couldn't place it. Maybe it was because they were blood-red and slitted, or maybe it was the spinning marks, or maybe the fact that he felt a presence in his mind that was cold…wrong…alien. He shook it off and raised his wand that was shaped like a rose. "I'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!" he conjured up a dozen more golems. "Do not underestimate the power of beauty! Go now, and teach him how it is possible to have beauty and power!" and with that he sent forward his golems."

The fox repositioned itself to standing on all fours, it legs spread out and the fur on its neck standing straight up. As the first four golems reached the fox, it opened its mouth and shot forth a high-pressured stream of water, knocking back two of the golems. The fox proceeded to close its mouth, turning the torrent of water into a jet stream, cutting the other two in half causing them to dissipate into dust.

The fox leapt forward, grabbing hold of the two middle golems in the next wave of four and driving them into the ground. Using them as clubs, the fox spun around, striking the other two, causing all four to dissipate. The last four hoisted their spears and brought them down to skewer the fox simultaneously, but the fox had other plans. Rolling forward and ending upright on it feet, it leapt back, spinning in midair and bringing its tail crashing down upon one golem, destroying it, while swiping out a claw and taking the head of another golems as well. The other two golems, finally freeing their spears from the ground, faced the fox. They both charged, one taking a tail through the side before dissipating. The other made it through and made to stab the fox. The fox merely sidestepped and ripped the spear free of the golem's grip and destroyed it with its own spear. It left the spear; now clean of a golem body, stuck in the ground and turned to face Guiche amongst a cacophony of whispers.

"I will never yield to a familiar, a Zero's familiar at that!" Guiche yelled as he raised his wand to conjure up more golems. However, before he could utter a word, the fox had crossed a distance of about thirty feet, and struck him in the gut with its head. He found himself double over in the dirt, clutching his stomach before he even felt any pain.

"Now that's enough!" Mr. Colbert yelled, as he rushed to Guiche's side as the boy became fully aware of the pain in his stomach. "We'll have to get him to the infirmary at once."

Whispers ran through crowd at a fearsome pace, and the news spread throughout the school that a mere familiar beat "Guiche the Bronze."

**OwO**

Louise was sitting in class, trying her hardest not to pay any attention to the hushed whispers the circles the classroom. the ones that were mostly about her and the fox currently curled up underneath her desk against her leg. "Will Louise be punished?"

"Why would she get punished?"

"Because her familiar hurt a noble, that's why."

"Yea, but that guy started it by attacking her."

"Actually, she started it by raising her wand first, remember?"

"Oh yea, but still, a duel between nobles is forbidden anyways."

These were stopped when a woman opened the door to the classroom, interrupting the teacher's lesson. "I am terribly sorry for interrupting your class, Mr. Colbert, but I am afraid I need to see Miss Valliere in the hallways for a moment."

"No Problem." he smiled to her before looking back to Louise, "Louise, if you please?"

"Hai Colbert-sensei." she got up and closed her book looking down at the fox underneath her desk. "Stay put, you hear me?" the fox looked up lazily at her. She took a few steps before noticing the fox had fallen in step with her. She whirled around, "Stay! Go back!" The fox merely stared at her with those half-lidded eerie red marked eyes. A few seconds go by. Snickers . A few more seconds go by. "Fine." she huffed and stormed out of the room, familiar in tow. There was an outbreak of hushed whispers as she left.

"Actually this concerns him as well. Oh, is it a he or a she?"

"I don't know." Louise responded looking back at the fox.

"Well, let's see shall we?" she stooped down and reached out to grab the fox's leg and lift it; only for the fox to bare its teeth and growl loudly at her once her hand got within six inches of its fur.

"Hey! Don't you growl at her you stupid Dog! She just was trying to see if you're a girl or a boy!" Louise yelled loudly grabbing a handful of the fur on the back of its neck."

"Don't worry, it's no problem. It _is_ an animal after all. It looks like it will you touch it though. Why don't you find out?"

"Eh? M-M-Me? But that's gross!"

"Well don't you want to know, that way you can name it? I mean, it _is _very demeaning to be a boy with a girl's name."

"F-fine!" she turned to the fox and crouched down looking at its eyes. "Look, I don't want to do this, but if I am going to name you I'll have to figure out if you're a boy or a girl." She went for the fox's leg, only for it to lift it for her. "Eh? You can understand me? The fox stared at her."

"Ha ha ha, don't be silly Miss Valiere; it is after all, just an animal."

"Yea your right." She said to her company. She bent lower and noticed something very odd. _There was no genitalia._ "Eh?" she sat bolt upright staring at the fox's eyes as they started spinning and she felt an alien presence in her mind. She wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but chalked it up to those mezmorising eyes of his. _His?_ She wasn't sure how she knew; but she just _knew_. It was as if thousands of voices spoke inside of her mind in unison stating, "_Male."_ But she didn't hear a thing. _Very_ odd indeed.

"What is it?" the green-haired woman asked.

"It's a boy." Louise simply replied.

"Ah, how nice. Anyways, shall we continue to Old Osmond's office then?"

"Hai, Miss Longville." They departed towards the headmaster's office.

**OwO**

_Knock. Knock._ "Come in." a wizened voice sounded from behind a long shite beard. The door opened revealing the mans bespectacled assistant. "Ah Miss Longville, he with Miss Valliere I presume?"

"Hai." She replied and turned behind her opening the door further to reveal Louise and her familiar.

"Do come in Miss Valliere; please have a seat." He gestured towards a chair in front of him. "Would you care for some tea?"

"That would be lovely."

"Then Miss Longeville…?" he asked her silently.

"Yes sir." She responded and went to close the door only to pause as a squeak sounded from between her legs. She looked down to see a tiny white mouse scurry in the room and launch itself up on onto the man's legs, continuing is ascent until it was on the man's shoulder, squeaking to him before diving underneath his robes.

"Hm; Striped purple and white you say?" he said as some blood rushed to his cheeks behind his large beard and moustache."

"S-Sir!" his secretary sputtered, red as a tomato before she slammed the door and stormed off.

"Well, onto the business of why I called you here."

"Is this about my duel with Guiche? Am I in trouble? Am I going to prison?" she asked.

"No, no my dear; however you shall be punished. Duels between nobles are forbidden outside of these walls, however you are all students here, and how can you be expected to fight a war if you have not had any practical experience. Therefore I shall bend the rules in this case." Louise let out a silent breath. "Now, onto your curious Familiar. It has been quite a few years since I've seen a Water-type familiar come from these lands. They are mostly Wind and Earth-type. Not to mention that it is a fox, and the last ones we had of them were very weak in comparison, and their masters were never even cross-class"

"Yes well he does have _some _talent. He isn't totally useless."

"Yes well the speed, precision, and power that I saw was quite impressive. Since this is such a special case, I want you to take extra care in learning about your familiar. It has been a long time since there was a fox familiar, and I wish that you would take your schoolwork more seriously. Study harder and you may not cause an explosion every time you try a spell. You still have a chance to become an accomplished mage."

"Yes sire. I don't know what it is. I get the incantations correct, it's just every time my magic explodes on me."

"Well I am sure that you will figure it out." Silence. "So I trust that you will have something to show off at the Yearly Familiar Exhibition?"

"Eh…." Was the insightful reply.

"Ah, well then I hope you will work extra hard to find a useful talent to show."

She sighed, "Yes sir. May I leave now?"

"He smiled yes you may Miss Valliere. Good luck." His smile disappeared the second she closed the door. He turned his head to his left, addressing the quivering mass underneath the folds of his robe. "'Reeks of blood and death' you say…very peculiar. I shall have to keep an eye on this pair."

**OwO**

It was after dinner, and Louise was sitting on her bed with her wand sitting on her sheets next to her. Her chin was resting in her hands as she and her familiar stared at each other. "So, you are a water-type familiar. And you are quick. That's it?" the two red-slit eyes stared back at her, unwavering. "Well is there anything else you can do, or are you just some useless fox? Eh? Answer me!" she snapped quickly and grabbed her wand pointing it at the animal in front of her. She held that pose for a second before slumping over, staring at the wooden floor beneath her feet. "I guess that makes sense, a useless familiar for a useless mage. Oh why couldn't I have gotten a dragon for a familiar? At least they can fly!" her ranting was interrupted by a cold, wet nose touching her knee. "Eh?" she looked up towards the fox. The fox stared back at her before closing its eyes for a second. It got up on its hind legs and put a front paw on each side of Louise, bringing its face level with hers, its eyes still closed.

He blushed and stammered, wondering what this crazy animal was going to do. What if someone came in? Would they see her and this beast in this compromising position and think the worst of her? That she was…with the familiar…with an animal? Oh the embarrassment would be too much. She would have thrown herself from her window if that ever happened. Luckily the animal opened it eyes, staring deeply into hers. She finally got a _real _good look at them. The red irises were still there as well as the slit pupils, however, there were new additions in the form of three black comma marks. However weird she thought that was, her mind was blown when they started to spin slowly, picking up speed. That's when she heard it. That alien presence she felt in her mind was there once again and the voices spoke in her head.

_Do you truly wish to know about us; about how we came to be?_

"Um." She gulped and steeled herself, completely forgetting the fact that an animal was talking to her telepathically and nodded.

_Very well then youngling. Relax your mind and let yourself fall into the genjutsu._

She felt the world distort around her and then she was in a large room. Large dark pipes coated the walls. As she walked forward, her shoes clip-clopped on the hard floor. She noticed immediately the giant bars at the other end of the room and the four figures standing, standing, standing, and hunched in front of said bars. As she neared the figures they came into focus and she immediately was confused.

The one standing on the far left was a man who looked to be around his mid-thirties, although he could have been mistaken for much older, due to his gray hair that stuck out above his weird metal plate on his forehead. His mismatched eyes threw her off for a second before she realized that one of those eyes matched her familiar's, the one with a large scar running down the center of it. The other was a beady black eye. Underneath hat was a dark blue facemask that covered most of his face from the nose down. He wore a green vest with many pockets, over a dark blue long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm. He had dark blue pants with white tape around the right leg and similar wrappings around his ankles, ending with dark blue open-toe sandals on his feet.

The next one was much shorter. He looked to be in his early teens. He had black hair sticking up above his headband with a metal plate. On top of his head as well was a set of orange goggles with white trim. Underneath that were two red eyes with the same marking as her familiar and the previous man as well. He wore a blue coat with orange trimming that was clasped over the collar while open revealing a gray shirt underneath. He had an orange belt with a pouch at the back and chains hanging from it to his pocket. He had on brown shorts and the same sandals that the man wore.

The next man was, for lack of a better word, a total _hottie_. He had blonde hair and deep-blue eyes, with three black lines going down each of his cheeks which doo decidedly like whiskers. He had on a long orange trench coat with black flames rimming the bottom hem. On his left breast there was the Kanji for 'Toad', although she didn't know that, and on his left bicep was the same band with the same metal plate and the same swirly symbol on it. He had on a back vest, similar to the first man's. He also had orange pants, also similar to the first man's with a small leather box strapped to his right thigh and black open-toe sandals. He also had a large scroll strapped to his back, sticking out on either side of his body.

And then there was the final one. Hunched over glaring at her seemed to be the very same familiar that was hers. It was snarling slightly and looked as if it was about to lunge at her and tear out her throat at any second.

Behind them, though, through the bars Louise saw something that shocked her to her very core. There were eyes; blinking eyes, all staring at her. There had to be thousands upon thousands of them. So many they looked like twinkling stars.

"I don't understand."

The blond-haired man started to speak. The way he spoke threw Louise for a loop. It sounded as if there were millions of voices coming through his mouth, _By the time you leave here…_

_…you shall. _The gray-haired man finished in the same voice.

The third, black-haired boy spoke. _In this for you see before you there are four dominant souls; the four you see here. But to properly understand us, the tale of Codename Legion must first be explained; for he is the catalyst._

The gray-haired man spoke again. _In the beginning, there was The War._

She felt a chill down her spine…


End file.
